McGhee's 24 points leads No. 2 Texans past Victoria College 93-76 Wednesday

LEVELLAND — Four players scored in double figures Wednesday as the second-ranked South Plains College men's basketball team opened the season with a 93-76 victory over Victoria College at the Texan Dome.

The Texans will look for a quick turnaround as they will be on the road Nov. 5-6 at the Mitchell/Mullen's Elite 8 in Enid, Oklahoma. South Plains will square off with Northern Oklahoma College at 6 p.m. on Nov. 5, followed by a 5 p.m. tip against Murray State College on Nov. 6.

"I thought we played well in some areas, but we have a lot we can clean up," South Plains head coach Hayden Sowers said. "We gave up 48 points in the second half, and if we're going to do what we're trying to do, were going to have to get a lot better. We're going to get back in here tomorrow and get to work and get after it."

Jabori McGhee led South Plains with 24 points and four boards, connecting on four of nine shots from the field, and was 14 of 18 from the charity stripe over 35 minutes. Jermahri Hill netted 18 points and dished out a team-high six assists, while Jalen Hampton finished with 16 points and nine boards.

"Victoria plays a zone, and going into the first game against that type of opponent, you're worried about the ball not being able to get inside," Sowers said. "We did a decent job offensively, but we had 25 turnovers, and you can't win like that, and we are going to get back to work and clean up some things tomorrow."

The Texans shot 59.2 percent from the floor and were seven of 19 from distance while forcing the Pirates to shoot just 38 percent from the field and 25 percent from the 3-point line.

"I liked that we held to 28 points in the first half, and I didn't like that we gave up 48 points in the second half," Sowers said. "They shot 57 percent in the second half, and you're not going to win a lot of games guarding like that, and we are going to get to work tomorrow and fix some things on the defensive end."